Detox: Antibacterial “Throw-Down” Cabbage Soup

So, I have been very tired lately. Anyone else? There are many nooks and crannies of our lives that stress us out, wear us out, and kick us in the bottom. I have developed strategies based on how I’m feeling and what kind of tired I am. It’s about time! Here is one of my secrets:

When I feel like life is having a “throw-down” with me, I throw detox cabbage soup back in its FACE!!! And, ya know what? I always win. And I know that there are a LOT of detox soup recipes out there, but I like mine the best… because I feel soooo much better after I eat it!

It’s been about four years since I started deal with a bunch of health crap (chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, stress disorder, adrenal fatigue, food sensitivities, acid reflux, ulcers, and candida). I went through a stage when I was so fed up with food (haha) that I would “forget” to eat because everything hurt. This led to weight loss, then weight gain, then more weight gain because I was messing with my poor body’s metabolism so much. After a whole bunch of doctors and a butt-load of tests, a doctor finally figured out that a lot of my problem was that my body was overrun with bad bacteria. I had caught a parasite years earlier when I spent the summer in Nepal and it had gotten out-of-control. I wasn’t working, and I wasn’t really even getting out of bed.

Once I knew about the candida, my best friend Ellen and I did some research. With the help of her, my doctors, my boyfriend, and my family, I started a sugar-free, gluten-free, lactose-free, low-starch “diet”. That is when I started making “Cabbage Throw-Down Detox” soup.

Here’s my thinkin’: Throw in a bunch of stuff that is antibacterial, don’t cook all the good stuff out, and eat it for a few days so I don’t get hungry and eat something that will mess up my body. Simple concept. Take care of myself.

1 small cabbage (I use green because I don’t like drinking purple soup…your call)

2-3 cups spinach or kale

½ – 1 cup parsley, chopped (sometimes I just use dried parsley)

Any other vegetable you have a love relationship with

Note: This soup is different every time I make it… basically because I put in whatever vegetables I have. The things that always stay the same are cabbage, onion, garlic, and parsley. These are my antibacterial wonders.

Ready? Before I do anything else, I pour the rice and quinoa together in my giant soup pot, fill just over half the pot with water, and add about 3 tablespoons of salt. If I don’t do it first, then I completely forget when I start chopping. And then I get angry, haha.

Start chopping the potatoes, carrots, and onion (and kumara if you’re lucky enough to have it). By the time you are done, the water should be boiling and your rice/quinoa should be softening. Dump in your beautifully diced hard veggies. Add in your garlic.

Next, chop your soft vegetables as needed – cabbage, kale, spinach, parsley. Then, chill out with a book for about twenty minutes. I love taking a break while cooking!

When it looks like your rice/quinoa mixture is cooked and your harder vegetables are softening, dump in your soft vegetables. I put these in closer to time to eat because I want them to still be a little crispy. Use your parsley right before serving, if ya want.

Add water and salt as needed.

Chill out with your book another 10 minutes-ish.

Now, your soup should be ready so you can show life what’s up.

It’s just me in my house, so I eat this soup for 3-4 days straight, drinking lots of water with lemon as well. I eat healthy snacks in between – like gluten-free toast with coconut butter or seaweed snacks. By the end of those days, I’m either feeling sick from all the toxins trying to leave my body or really good from getting the bad bacteria away from me. It’s a beautiful feeling when you get there. Honestly, I tell everyone when I make this soup. I’m like, “Totally made cabbage soup last night with quinoa and kale!” as if they are going to bow down before me like I’m a health goddess. Which I’m not. But sometimes we like to think that people think that we are, right? Haha.

P.S: Sometimes, I even eat this soup while taking a hot lavender Epsom salt bubble bath followed by a cool shower like a true goddess. Try it! Just don’t forget to hydrate during or right afterwards.